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Monthly Archives: December 2021

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Suggestions of what to read (from my daughter.)

My daughter Kathryn shares with me often a reading list of worthy books. Her most recent list consisted of seven books to read. Here are two I thought worthy of a share. Shares were permitted in the article and here are all seven should you care to be interested.

I shall also share with you another Blog site.  This Blogger does a great job of book revues. We,my wife, daughter, and the Rooster, constantly cackle back and forth as to who these Bloggers I refer to are. Are they friends or acquaintances? Sometimes I even say my Blogging Buddy. So now, just what constitutes a Friend, Acquaintance or Buddy in the Blogging World?  Should you have any thoughts in this area please feel free to comment.

Here goes the two I selected from Kathryn’s list of seven but first, here are two Santa brought me this year. They were:

1:    “The Secret World of Weather”

2:     “The Judge’s List”

My Two of Seven Pics from Kathryn were:

1: “Deep Country” is Neil Ansell’s account of five years spent alone in a hillside cottage in Wales.

‘I lived alone in this cottage for five years, summer and winter, with no transport, no phone. This is the story of those five years, where I lived and how I lived. It is the story of what it means to live in a place so remote that you may not see another soul for weeks on end. And it is the story of the hidden places that I came to call my own, and the wild creatures that became my society.’

Neil Ansell immerses himself in the rugged British landscape, exploring nature’s unspoilt wilderness and man’s relationship with it. Deep Country is a celebration of rural life and the perfect read for fans of Robert Macfarlane’s Landmarks, Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk orJames Rebanks’ A Shepherd’s Life.

‘A beautiful, translucent portrayal of mid-Wales’ Jay Griffiths

‘Touching. Through Ansell’s charming and thoroughly detailed stories of run-ins with red kites, curlews, sparrowhawks, jays and ravens, we see him lose himself . . . in the rhythms and rituals of life in the British wilderness’ Financial Times

‘Remarkable, fascinating’ Time Out

‘A gem of a book, an extraordinary tale. Ansell’s rich prose will transport you to a real life Narnian world that CS Lewis would have envied. Find your deepest, most-comfortable armchair and get away from it all’ Countryfile

Neil Ansell spent five years living on a remote hillside in Wales, and wrote his first book, Deep Country, about the experience. Since that time, he has become an award-winning television journalist with the BBC. He has travelled in over fifty countries and has written for the Guardian, the New Statesman and the Big Issue.


2: “This, Becoming Free” by Michael Gungor

Ben Palmer, Associate Editor, News Division

I absolutely love memoirs, and this is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Michael Gungor was a worship leader at a large church and a Grammy-nominated Christian musician who eventually left his faith entirely and embarked on a journey to really figure out what he believed. In the process, Gungor learned to let go of the stories that were defining who he was, working his way through various belief systems, including atheism and mysticism.

While Gungor’s story on its own is fascinating, what makes this such a great memoir is how different it is from other memoirs. Personally, I would’ve been happy with just his story of losing almost everything he knew to find who he is. But on top of that, Gungor adds in poems, artwork, musings on spirituality and philosophy, a little bit of everything, all in what amounts to a fairly quick read.

If you enjoy spirituality or dabble in the world of mysticism or philosophy or just like to talk about whatever is going on here in this world where a whole bunch of embodied awareness are floating around on a rock spinning in infinity, “This: Becoming Free” is a book you’ll love.

Thank you https://www.advisory.com/Daily-Briefing.  for allowing an amateur like myself to share this in the Blogging World

Looking Back

Unsplash.com

I’ve heard, as I’m sure many out there have heard also, Never look Back, only forward. Well I’m here to tell you there is a lot to look back on that brings us all joy. That bodes well in these times where our going forward is stymied much of the time by the current Pandemic that affects us all in one way or another. So my friends I’m just going to share some remembrances with you.

Just last week for instance I get a text from the Mrs., “stop at Food Lion and get me some Heavy Cream.” Fortunately this is a frequent request and I know right where to look for it, as well as what I’m looking for. However the Heavy Cream is not really what I’m looking back at.

Store Images | Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree info

All of us, yes even you who have eyes on this blog have observed the following. You go to a mall, grocery store, or if your a miser like us a “Dollar Tree” from time to time. As you look for a parking place, way in the back this time of the year you see the following. Shopping carts are strewn everywhere. Many carts block parking spots, some are coming at you at 15 -20 MPH, blown by December winds. I could use some Expletive Deleateds here but I wont.

Shopping Cart Discarded shopping cart in a large parking lot. shopping cart parking lot stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

There are cart Parking Stations conveniently located throughout most parking lots. Who uses them and who does not? Do you ever wonder, or, are you a culprit? Has that new Ford Bronco you see with the the dent in it’s door experienced a wind blown cart you wonder. How about the cart in the middle of the lane you’re traveling in, do you have to get out and move it to get by? Are the carts in the collection stacked inside one-another? They do fit inside one-another you know.

How about this one. You observe a shopper take his or her cart, which they have just emptied and from twenty five yards away send it flying towards the storage area. “Long pass towards the end zone, OH! incomplete,” as it Rick-O-Shays off that Toyota Van. Had a beer with Rick just the other day at a pub in Kilkenny.

What you do with your cart says a lot about you. Check it out.

There are a host of posts on this question on TWITTER also.

So OK, there are most likely reasons of significant value as to why a person doesn’t take the cart back. Disabilities, sudden downpours, dog or child locked inside for an hour on 100 degree day and passed out, so many reasons, so little time.

As you shop these last few day prior to Christmas, take a moment and take the cart back.

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

Merry Christmas to all from the Rooster and the Mrs.

A Wedding in August

Just yesterday we were in the Piano room at daughter Kathryn’s house. Gathered about listening to Christmas music from the family Steinway were Granddaughter Rachael and husband Drew, Granddaughter Abigail, and husband Antwain and their daughter, one month old Alana Bea, our great, #5. Kathryn and husband Jeff, Mary Agnes and the Rooster, dogs, Libby and Phoebe and lurking around the corner, Cat Friday, were there also.. I’ve since renamed the Piano room the gathering room. Must get a picture out some day soon.

Earlier in the day the local fire department was out in force escorting Santa Clause about town. Alana was given the opportunity to tell Santa what was on her wish list, apparently she slept though the event. Here’s Alana with mom and dad.

May be an image of 2 people, people standing and road

Kathryn was playing Christmas music on the recently tuned piano. Several of us were enjoying a glass of wine, the atmosphere was festive and the setting was Grand. At one point Rachael turns to me and says, “Pop-Pop, I never got a shout out in a blog when I got married in August.” Yep, the Rooster had been remiss.

Well folks out there in reader land, Granddaughter Rachael was married to Andrew Rodgers on sixteen August of this year. The two young’ns had been dating for some time and the 16’th had been the anniversary of their first date. Rachael is an elementary school teacher, Drew served in the Navy Submarine Service for six years. He listened to Whales chatting while submerged at Davey Jones Locker Andrew still has his ups and downs, he now works for an elevator company.

A proud little tidbit concerning the wedding, yours truly served as the officiant for the ceremony and the event took place in our backyard with a flock of nine hens as witnesses. This was my third family wedding to have conducted and I have two more coming up next year. I’ll marry a nephew in February and my brother in June. These are proud moments all.

The Participants

L to R – The Rooster’s Mrs. Mary Agnes – Rachael the Bride – Sarah, Mother of the Bride
Andrew the Groom, Sarah, Rachael the Bride
Proud mothers, Michelle & Sarah
Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

So there you have it, Rachael is married, I’m off the Fecal Roster and one last thing. We found out recently that Rachael and Andrews family will increase in size in 2022. Congratulations to the two of you.